


The Legend of Keith: Skyward Sword

by Tigerlilly244



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Artwork by me, Fanart, Female pronouns for Pidge, I have no idea how that happened, Implied Heith, Lance is the embodiment of a sword, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, they/them pronouns for lance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2018-12-31 00:55:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12121032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tigerlilly244/pseuds/Tigerlilly244
Summary: It's Skyward Sword, but Hunk is Link and Keith is Zelda.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I've been replaying Skyward Sword recently, and I just couldn't help myself. This is my first time writing fanfiction so it's going to rough in some places...maybe a lot of places! I'm hoping it will be a lot of fun. :D
> 
> Feedback is super welcome!

He’d been having strange dreams lately but this was completely different. It was dark. No, not dark. Just black. And empty. There was nothing around him and yet he had the disorienting feeling of something solid beneath his feet. He took a hesitant step forward and was both reassured and overwhelmed when it connected with an invisible floor.

The ground in front of him, if it could be called a ground, began to rumble and shudder. A space opened up and a shrieking creature erupted from the ground. It was all teeth and sharp edges; it was covered in armored scales that reminded him of knives. Black smoke poured off every surface of its body, and as it finally breached through, it faced him. It had no eyes but he swore that it was looking right at him.

He held his hands up in front of his face in a poor attempt of defense as it approached him. It screeched in his face and he screwed his eyes shut, certain that this was it, he was dead—dream or no dream.

The monster recoiled as a bright light shone down on the both of them. He looked up and a mysterious voice filled the air. “ _Rise Hunk…The time has come for you to awaken. You are fated to have a great destiny, and soon it will find you…The time has come for you to awaken. Hunk_ …” It drifted off, interrupted by another shriek from the monster.

Hunk stumbled backwards and closed his eyes and covered his ears against the awful sound. He hesitantly opened his eyes when it faded and he was alone in the darkness once again. He looked around and came face to face with a familiar sight. Keith’s crimson loft-wing, Red.

“Squawk!”

Hunk yelled and fell out of bed with a loud _thump_. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and willed the nauseous feeling in his stomach away. He ran a hand down his face and pushed his bangs back. The familiar sight of his bedroom ceiling helped to calm his racing heart. He tilted his head backwards to look at his open window where Red had shoved her head through. She rolled her yellow eyes at him and spit a letter onto his face. “Squawk!”

“Ugh,” he sat up just as she pulled her head back and disappeared—his window fell closed with a _clack_. “Good morning to you too.” He picked up the letter and turned it over. His name was written on the back in Keith’s familiar hand writing:                                                  

_Hunk,_

_You can’t sleep all day._

_Today’s the Wing Ceremony._

_Meet me at the Goddess Statue like we said._

_-Keith_

It was short and simple—kind of like the guy who wrote it. Hunk smiled and stood up. He set the letter down on his unmade bed and walked over to his closet to change his clothes, putting out all thoughts of his nightmare.

Once dressed, Hunk left his bedroom and stepped out into the brightly lit hall of the Garrison Knight dormitory. He made a beeline for the stairs but a voice called out to him: “Hey, Hunk! They’re still working on the upstairs. You’re going to have to use the main exit.”

It was Matt, resident loft-wing expert. At least that’s how most people thought of him—he even had his very own knight uniform. He was well on his way to becoming an accomplished protector to Sky-loft. He was a year or so ahead of Hunk.

“Thanks,” Hunk said and turned around. Matt smiled and gave him a thumbs up before turning around to look at the bulletin board.

He was walking past the kitchen when he noticed Pidge struggling with a barrel almost twice her size. “Hey buddy, what’cha doing?”

Pidge sighed and visibly deflated. She leaned against the barrel and pushed her glasses further up her nose. “Manual labor that I was never meant to do.”

“Um, why?”

She held out a small hand and rubbed her thumb against her fingers. “Money.” Hunk chuckled and lifted the barrel with ease. Pidge stumbled and caught herself before she fell completely. “Hey!”

“Where’s this bad boy going?”

“To the kitchen. But I’ll do it myself; I started this, I’m going to finish it.”

Hunk hefted the barrel onto his shoulder. “You just don’t want to split the money, but don’t worry; this can be our little secret.” He winked at her and carried the barrel into the kitchen. He set it down next to the stove. Pidge was hovering behind him the entire way.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I wanted to help.”

Pidge huffed. “Now I feel like I owe you something.”

“Don’t. Look,” Hunk put a hand her shoulder and grinned, “just keep me posted on your next project. That’s what the money is for right? Supplies for the next big thing.” Pidge grinned back at him and her eyes glittered. “I can tell just by looking at your face that it’s gonna be amazing.”

“You’re not wrong,” she agreed. “Fine, you’ll be the first person I show once it’s finished. Thanks for helping.”

“No problem. Now if you excuse me, I’m late meeting Keith.”

“Oh, you mean your _boyfriend_?” Only could Pidge could manage to display such inhuman levels of mischief in both voice and face. Hunk immediately regretted telling her where he was going. His face flushed.

“Look, it’s nothing like that! We’re just friends!”

“Just friends.”

“Childhood friends even, but there is nothing romantic going on between the two of us.”

“If you can find me someone other than yourself and Keith who agrees to that claim, I’ll believe you. Lucky for me,” her face was a portrait of smugness, “no one else thinks so.”

Flustered, Hunk could find no words so he just repeated: “We’re just friends!”

“Yeah, and we’re just an island floating in the sky,” Pidge said.

“But we _are_ just an island floating in the sky!”

She fixed him with a level stare. “You and I both know that there’s way more to the Sky-loft than just floating in the sky. Same is true of other things, like you and Keith.” Any other day, her statement wouldn’t have left him feeling sick to his stomach; but he could still hear the echoes of a voice telling him he had a great destiny. He shook it off.

“I’m going now,” he said quickly.

“Have fun with your _boyfriend_.”

“He is not my boyfriend!” Hunk called back and fled out the main door of the dormitory. The fresh air was a relief. His conversation with Pidge had left Hunk feeling hot and worried, but for the life of him, he didn’t know what he should be worried about. _It’s just nerves_ , he decided, _Keith is counting on you to win today, you’re just getting cold feet_. It was an easy thing to believe.

Hunk took a deep breath and began walking down the path. He stopped in front of one of the many bird statues around the Sky-loft, and performed his morning prayers to the goddess. When he finished, he heard yelling from the terrace above him.

He looked up and saw Coran, one of the Garrison instructors, running around chasing a small, black cat. “You get back here, Shiro needs you for the Wing Ceremony!” He tripped, and the cat jumped onto the roof of the dormitory.

“Hey Coran,” Hunk yelled with his hands cupped around his mouth, “Do you need some help?”

“Hunk!” Coran stood up and spun around with a surprising amount of grace for a man so gangly. “Help would be lovely! Muffin has gotten out of Shiro’s office again.” He turned to look at the cat on the roof and stomped his foot, “You get down here right this second, missy!”

“I’m on my way up!” Matt had told him that the stairs weren’t an option so Hunk looked around for another way. Near the terrace wall was a wooden crate, if he pushed it closer, he’d be able to climb up no problem.

He stood in front of the crate, blew onto each of his hands before rubbing them together, and pushed the crate up against the wall. “Nice thinking,” Coran said as Hunk pulled himself up onto the grassy terrace. He twisted his moustache and stared at Muffin. “Got any clever ideas on how to get up there?”

“Uh,” Hunk scratched his head, “not really.” The two of them looked around and almost simultaneously noticed some vines growing up the outside wall of the second floor all the way up to the roof. “That’s…convenient.” Coran hummed in agreement.

Hunk walked over and tested his weight on the vines. Confident that they wouldn’t break, he began scaling the wall. Huffing and puffing just a little bit, he climbed onto the roof. He caught his breath and looked out over the roof to where Muffin was grooming herself.

“Careful now,” Coran said as Hunk crept near her, “if you startle her, we’ll have to start all over again! And you’ve got a ceremony to go to.”

“Newsflash, Coran: so do you,” Hunk called down to him before inching closer to Muffin. Her tail flicked apprehensively and her ears perked up as he stood behind her, but she didn’t turn around. Hunk was certain she would bolt but he managed to quickly scoop her into his arms. She meowed irritably. “There, there.” He pat her on the head and jumped down to where Coran stood.

“Wonderful job, Hunk!” Coran took Muffin from him and scratched her behind her ears. She purred. “I’ll return her to Shiro’s office and close the window so she won’t get out again. She’s quite an adventurous little feline.”

“Well she does belong to Shiro,” Hunk said and Coran nodded his head. “I’m gonna head out unless you need anything else.”

“No, no, you’ve done more than enough! Go prepare for the ceremony, I hope to see you put your best effort out there.” He twirled his moustache around his finger.

“Thanks, Coran; I’ll see you soon.” Hunk waved goodbye and began walking towards the center bridge of the Sky-loft. It connected Garrison Knight Academy, the bazaar, the lake, and the Statue of the Goddess that overlooked everything. That’s where Keith was waiting. At the feet of the Goddess Statue. And that meant one thing: lots and lots of stairs.

Hunk put a foot on the first step and looked up at the rest of them. It was a daunting task. But promises were made, and promises would be kept. He started the long trek up to the statue. About two-thirds of the way up, he heard an incredible sound. It was a stringed instrument that clumsily played the familiar ballad of the goddess. The further up the stairs he got, the clearer the song became, and at the very top of the stairs, he heard singing.

He walked through the gates leading into the courtyard in front of the statue, and he saw Keith standing in the middle, surrounded by tall, elegant white columns. He was dressed in a deep red tunic, and had a white shawl tied around his shoulders; his pants were tucked into his brown boots. He wore two belts, one made of gold coins, and the other held a blue flag with the familiar crest of the goddess on it. His long, black hair was pulled back but his bangs fell into his face as bent over the harp in his hands.

“Damn it,” he growled. He had plucked the wrong string and the entire ballad was interrupted by the off-tune note and his frustration.

“You make a good goddess, Keith.” Hunk said as he approached his friend. Keith’s head snapped up and his cheeks looked a little pink. He beamed at the compliment, but his face quickly fell into a scowl.

“You’re late,” he said.

“There you are Keith, are you ready for the Wing Ceremony today?”

“Shiro!”

Shiro smiled at the two of them as he walked closer. “Hunk, you’re here too. Are you ready? If you win today, you get to perform the ritual with Keith.”

“That’s not the only reason he should win today,” Keith said. He looked annoyed as he turned and poked his finger into Hunk’s chest. “You _promised_ you’d win for me today.” Hunk let out a nervous laugh. “But you haven’t even been training recently! And even when you are out on your loft-wing, it’s like you’re not even trying.”

“Now Keith,” Shiro said, “don’t be too upset with Hunk. I think we all know the reason why you made him promise to win in the first place.”

Keith winced. “There are a lot of reasons I made him promise.”

Shiro’s smile was patient and gentle. “It wouldn’t have been necessary had you not gotten suspended, you’re lucky to be participating in the Wing Ceremony at all.”

“Iverson has it out for me, and you know it!”

“Only knights are permitted to carry swords outside of training. You’re a student, Keith, not a knight. He had every right to suspend you.”

“Yeah, but—“

“ _And_ , you know that flying at night is prohibited except by those who have been properly trained. It’s not only foolish to do so, but dangerous as well.”

“Okay, I get it,” Keith deadpanned, “I’ve made mistakes.”

“And you can learn from them,” Shiro put his hand on Keith’s shoulder. He smiled at Hunk, “I don’t think you need to worry about Hunk losing today. He’s more accomplished than you think he is. Just because he doesn’t appear to be training very hard means nothing; you know as well I do how bonded he is to his loft-wing. If anything, I’d say he’s at an advantage. Almost as much of an advantage as you if you were able to compete today.

As you know, we are all one half a whole. The Goddess has bestowed us all winged guardians, our loft-wings. From a young age, we meet them here, at the feet of our Goddess. When you and Hunk met your loft-wings, it was the most incredible thing. You took off like a natural—as if you were born flying—” Keith smiled—“and Hunk, clumsy and nauseous, took off right after you.”

“And then I threw up,” Hunk said.

Shiro laughed. “And then you threw up.”

“But you stopped doing that…for the most part,” Keith smiled at Hunk. “But I’d still feel better if you did a little last minute training. If I can’t become a knight today, I want you to.” He tucked the harp under one arm and grabbed Hunk’s hand. “Come on,” he pulled him towards the pier.

He pushed Hunk to the end of the pier. Hunk dug his feet in. “Keith, wait!”

“What is it?” Keith pressed his hands to Hunk’s back and raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think Yellow is out there; I can’t sense him.”

Keith scowled. A worried crease formed in the center of his forehead. “I’ll catch you if he doesn’t,” he said confidently. And then he pushed Hunk off the pier and into the clouds below.


	2. Missing Loft-wing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk and Keith go searching for Yellow, Hunk's loft-wing. Hunk uses a sword, Keith hears voices, Rolo is kind of a butt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there's no illustrations for this chapter, I've been very busy with school and work. There will definitely be illustrations for the next chapter, they're already halfway done!
> 
> Feedback is super welcome! :)

It took a moment to realize that the buzzing in Hunk's ear was the sound of his own screaming. His stomach was doing flip-flops. It was one thing to jump and trust that Yellow would catch him, it was another thing altogether to be pushed off and uncertain if Yellow was even around. There was only one way to figure out for sure.

He stopped screaming and put his fingers in his mouth. His first attempt at a whistle was pathetic. It came out as a dry, quiet sound that he could barely hear over the sound of the wind. He licked his lips and tried again, this time it was loud and clear. Hunk looked around. No Yellow. "Ah crow," he cursed. He tried again with similar results.

Hunk tried not to panic as the cloud barrier got closer and closer. _Keith said he would catch me if Yellow didn't_ , he thought, but he couldn't help but imagine that falling through the barrier would yield a similar if not far more fatal result than a belly flop in the lake.

He heard the rush of wings and he looked around hopefully. It was Keith and Red, not Yellow. The realization left him relieved but horrified. What had happened to his loft-wing? Keith called out to him, and Hunk turned over in the air and stretched out his hands towards Red's talons. She snatched him up, and began flapping her wings madly. Hunk's boots grazed the cloud barrier and came away wet and dewy as they flew upwards, back towards Sky-loft.

Hunk hit the ground first, then Red, and then Keith. They rolled past a startled Shiro and fell in a heap about ten feet from the pier. "Are you alright?" Shiro ran towards them.

"We're fine," Keith said stroking Red’s feathers. Hunk stumbled to his feet and away from the others to throw up. Keith stood up. "You were right, Hunk, Yellow isn't out there."

"I could have told you that," Hunk groaned. "Actually, I did tell you that, and you pushed me off anyways."

"Sorry," Keith said and walked over to Hunk, "but I did catch you like I said I would." He put a hand on Hunk's back.

"Keith's manners aside," Shiro said, "I think it's more important that we find out what happened to your loft-wing, Hunk."

"That's right, you can't compete without Yellow."                                   

"You'll get frown lines if you keep scowling like that," Hunk told Keith.

"Shiro, can you stall the Wing Ceremony until Hunk finds Yellow?"

"Of course, I'll go talk to Coran right now. Keith, you and Red should fly around to see if Yellow is visible from the air. Hunk, take a look around Sky-loft, there's not a lot of places to hide a loft-wing of Yellow's size."

"I'm on it," Keith said. He patted Hunk's back before hopping onto Red. She flapped her wings once, twice, three times before taking off.

"Where should I start--" Hunk began to ask but Shiro was already heading towards the academy to speak with Coran. "Okay then," he said, "I guess I'll just...go this way." He began walking towards the plaza. There was a large lookout tower there, maybe if he climbed it he could see potential places for Yellow to be. It was as good a start as any.

Hunk glanced at the Statue of the Goddess as he walked past, she seemed as serene as ever. He tried to smile, but if he couldn’t find Yellow, there was no chance of him joining Keith up in the palm of her waiting hands after the ceremony. The idea of breaking his promise to Keith made him sick to his stomach.

He made his way down the stairs and started down the path that led to the plaza. He passed a couple of women washing clothes in the nearby stream. “I heard one of the students lost his loft-wing,” one of them whispered. She wrung out a wet shirt.

“How does a person _lose_ a loft-wing? They’re ginormous.”

“Excuse me,” Hunk said, “coming through.”

“Oh sorry dear,” they moved aside. Hunk kept walking and left them to their gossip, he couldn’t believe that the news had spread so fast. Then again, the Wing Ceremony was one of the biggest events of the year, and it was being delayed for him. That was a big thing. He walked faster towards the plaza.

“I’m just saying,” he heard a voice say as he walked into the plaza, “the next time you get a crazy idea like that into your head again Rolo, I’m not helping.” It was Nyma. She was standing over Rolo who was squatting on the ground, pulling stubborn weeds that grew between the cobblestones.

He sighed. “Look, it was a one-time thing. The deed is done, we already caught the bird, and we don’t need to do it a second time.” Nyma put her hands on her hips and scowled at him. “It’s _fine_ , that big dopey bird is locked up and no one will be able to find him before the ceremony starts.”

Hunk cleared his throat. Rolo and Nyma jumped. Rolo stood up and turned around. “Well, well, well look at what we have here. How’s it going, Hunk? Don’t you need to start preparing for the Wing Ceremony soon? They can’t delay it forever.”

“Where’s Yellow, Rolo?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Rolo didn’t have a particularly strong looking build, but from training sessions, Hunk knew better. So when Rolo stepped into his personal space, he felt just a little bit nervous about things getting physical. But he puffed out his chest anyway and met Rolo toe-to-toe. “I think you know exactly what I’m talking about so tell me right now, where is my loft-wing?”

He was thinking about poking a finger into Rolo’s chest when he heard the flapping of wings. “What’s going on here?” It was Keith. He hopped off of Red and stepped in between the two of them. “Hunk?”

“I think Rolo has something to do with Yellow’s disappearance.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

Keith rounded on him. “Look man, I don’t know what your problem with Hunk is but you need to knock it off. We’re all students at the academy, we’re all training to be knights. We need to learn how to work together, someday we’ll all be protecting Sky-loft,” Keith _did_ poke a finger into Rollo’s chest, “so get your act together and let’s start acting like a team for once. We don’t have to like each other, but we do have to work together.”

“That’s real funny coming from the guy who’s always running off alone or just with Hunk.”

“It’s not just Hunk, I run off with Pidge sometimes too,” Keith said. Hunk tried not to laugh at how proud he sounded. “If you know anything about what happened to Yellow, now’s your chance to say something.”

Rolo huffed and glanced at Nyma who just shook her head. “I don’t have anything to say to you.” He pushed past Keith and Hunk, Nyma following close behind.

“I’m really starting to dislike that guy,” Keith said.

“I told you he was shady years ago and you’re just _now_ starting to believe that?”

“I had other things to worry about.”

“Yeah, like not getting suspended every day,” Hunk gave Keith a light shove and they laughed. “Did you find anything?”

“Not yet, I’ll keep looking. Sometimes Sky-loft feels so small, but whenever you’re looking for something, suddenly it becomes enormous and overwhelming.”

“No kidding.” They stood there for a minute.

“ _Scree_ ,” Red cawed. She ruffled her feathers and flapped her wings impatiently.

“Alright, alright, let’s keep looking,” Keith climbed onto her back. “We’ll come find you if we see anything interesting,” he said. Hunk waved as the two of them flew back up into the air. He looked around. The plaza was completely deserted now. He walked over to the lookout tower and stood in front of the ladder. He looked up. It was so tall that it was blocking out a portion of the sun. He sighed and began climbing.

He was only about halfway up when he saw Matt and Pidge talking outside where he had helped Coran out with Muffin earlier. It looked like an animated conversation. Hunk loosened his grip on the ladder and slid down easily. He jogged back towards the academy.

“Matt! Pidge!” The two of them turned to look at him as he drew nearer.

“Just in time,” Matt called out, “Pidge has something to tell you.” He looked excited.

“What’s up?” Hunk panted as he came to a stop in front of them.

“Go on Pidge, tell him.”

Pidge stuck her tongue out at her older brother. “I know what Rolo did with Yellow.”

“You heard he’s missing?”

“Everyone knows he’s missing, Shiro and Coran are delaying the ceremony!” Matt said.

“Anyways,” Pidge pushed up her glasses, “I heard Rollo and Nyma talking about a waterfall. They just walked past not too long ago.”

“A waterfall?”

“Yeah,” Matt pointed across the bridges to the lake where they normally all swam together, “there’s a couple over there, you know. I think the top of the waterfalls start from a cave higher up, you should take a look.”

“A cave?”

“Hunk’s going to need some kind of weapon if he’s going through that cave, Matt.” Pidge elbowed her brother in the gut. “Just because he’s strong doesn’t mean he can punch his way through all the creatures in there.”

“Creatures?”

“Relax, they’re not dangerous…until they swarm. Bats and jellies mostly.” Matt chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Well maybe you should get permission to carry a weapon outside of training, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Hurt?”

“You’ll be fine,” Pidge assured him, “just go ask Iverson if you can borrow a sword. Explain the situation and hope he’s in a good mood. If not, just go over his head and ask Shiro’s permission.” The siblings pushed him in the direction of the training hall. “Good luck!”

“What just happened?” Hunk whimpered as he stumbled towards the wooden doors leading to the training hall. He pushed the doors open and peeked inside. “Uh, excuse me? Iverson? Are you in here?” He walked all the way inside and closed the door behind him.

“What do you want, Garrett?” The burly instructor stepped out from behind a training mannequin.

“I need to borrow a sword sir, my loft-wing has gone missing and I believe he’s in the cave near the lake.” Hunk explained. Iverson squinted at him. “I’ll bring it right back, I promise.” He put his face in Hunk’s. “Uh…”

“Go grab a sword from the other room and show me what you got, Garrett.”

“Y-Yes sir,” Hunk inched his way around the instructor and once free from his domineering stance, scrambled into the backroom. It was a small room, and weapons of all sorts were lining the walls. He grabbed the sword he normally used for training and joined Iverson back in the hall. The instructor was standing in the middle a sand circle, setting up wooden logs.

“I want you to show me at least one of each strike. Horizontal and vertical, coming in from the top at an angle, coming in from the bottom at an angle, a thrust, a parry; and most importantly, I want to see a spin attack.” Iverson stood back from the logs and gestured to Hunk. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

Hunk chose a log, and stood in front of it. He raised his sword and slashed it across the middle, cutting it in half. The top slide off and toppled onto the ground. “Next!” Iverson shouted. Hunk moved onto the next one and raised his sword over his head, he brought it down straight and the log split down the middle as if he’d been chopping firewood. “Excellent,” Iverson said.

This one was a little trickier, but he’d pulled in off in training before now. He raised his sword above his head again, but off to one side. He swung his sword downwards and sliced through the log at an angle. He let out a sigh of relief. “Don’t be too happy, there’s more.” Hunk went to the next one and held his sword near his knees and to the side. He swung it upwards and cut through the log at an angle again. He stepped back and grinned at his handiwork.

He moved onto the last log and with a confident motion, thrust the blade into the wood. There was a loud _crack_ and the log began to split around the sword until the log was falling onto the ground broken into two pieces. Iverson whistled. “Let’s see you parry, boy.”

Iverson rapped his knuckles against the wall and huge log swung down from the ceiling, straight towards Hunk. Hunk yelled and brought his sword up, knocking the log aside before it could smash his head in. He rolled onto the ground as it swung past him and stood up, waiting for it to come swinging back. This time he hit it and it broke. “Nice job.”

“Are you trying to kill me?”

“Quit whining and let’s see your spin attack.” Iverson kicked the broken logs away and set up a circle around the perimeter of the sand. “Go for it.”

Hunk moved into the middle of the logs. He took a deep breath and slide one leg out in front of him, and held his sword out to the side. He’d never really done this successfully, he always missed a log or two; but he’d seen Keith do this a thousand times. This was one of Keith’s favorite things to do. “Just, put a foot down and start spinning, it’s easy,” he had said. It was too bad Keith wasn’t a little bit more articulate.

He anchored his weight on one foot and brought his sword in a strong swing; he spun on his heel and heard the satisfying _crack_ and _thud_ of each log as they were cut in half and fell onto the ground. He stopped, feeling dizzy, and looked around. “It’s about time you got that one down, Garrett.” Iverson said stepping into the circle.

“Thanks.”

“You’re free to go with the sword, unless you want me to show you one more thing that might come in handy.” He stared Hunk down.

“Of course I want to see it,” Hunk said. With the way Iverson was looking at him, he wasn’t sure he had a choice.

“Good.” Iverson retrieved one last log and set it up in front of Hunk. “Now, you’re a strong guy but some of your attacks aren’t always going to be as effective as they are against a piece of wood,” he slapped the log, “that’s what this attack is for. It’s called the Finishing Blow.”

“The Finishing Blow?”

“Do you have cotton in your ears? Yes, the Finishing Blow. Knock your opponent off their feet and when they’re struggling to get up, finish them with a single jumping strike.”

“That sounds…violent.” Hunk looked at the log, feeling nauseas at the idea that it could someday be a real living creature in front of him.

“Give it a shot,” Iverson said and backed away.

Hunk took a deep breath to steady himself. He took a stance and thrust the sword into the wood, but this time with less force. The log toppled over and Hunk jumped, bringing his sword down. The sword sliced through easily, going so far that it got stuck in the ground beneath the sandy floor. “Great job, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were natural swordsman. Your hard work is finally showing results.”

“Thank you, sir.” Hunk stood and pulled the sword out. He couldn’t look at the log.

“Go find your loft-wing, you’ve got a ceremony to win right?"

“Yes sir.”

 

Hunk stood by the lake. He put his hands on his hips as he looked around, looking for the best way to the other side. Near the far edge of the lake were a couple of pieces of land. Or just big flat rocks depending on he looked at them. When he was a kid, he and the others used to use them for diving off of into the water. Looking at them carefully, he realized how dangerous that was considering that if they fell the wrong way, they’d plummet down into the sky on the other side.

He jumped onto the first one, and then got a short running start onto the second one and then the third. They all rose in height like a natural staircase. Pretty soon, he was safely on the other side of the lake. He walked up the incline and stared into the mouth of the cave, blocked by tall pointed posts. Someone had probably put them there to keep curious kids from going inside.

Hunk took the sword out of its scabbard and hesitated at the entrance. He thought he heard Yellow crying and in his head, he could see his loft-wing madly flapping his wings trying to break out from a small prison. He gasped and swung the sword. The posts toppled over and he ran inside without thinking.

It was darker inside the cave than he was expecting, so he let his eyes adjust. The sound of rushing water assaulted his ears, he figured it was the waterfall that fed the lake. He kept his sword held ready at his side as he made his way through the cave. With his free hand, he wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt.

Something fell onto the ground in front of him and he shrieked. He waved his sword around in a panic, forgetting all of his training. Something wet and thick wrapped itself around his feet and began to spread up his legs. Hunk yelled and flailed. He swung his sword between his legs and whatever it was that had caught him let him go. He stumbled backwards.

It was a jelly. Matt had said something about them, that this cave was probably full of bats and jellies. That most of them were only dangerous when they began to swarm. Hunk sidestepped around the jelly this time, steering a clear path away from it. He kept glancing at the ceiling just in case another one decided to sneak up on him from above.

The cave opened up into a wide cavern. A small chittering filled the air and soon, it was a cacophony of shrieking bats. Hunk threw himself onto the ground and covered his head with his hands as the swarm flew overhead. When it was quiet, he looked up and peeked through his fingers. Slowly he got to his feet and dusted himself off before continuing on.

He hit a dead end. Or at least, it would have been a dead end if he weren’t so determined to make it past. Now he was certain he could hear Yellow crying. In front of him, a large wall blocked him but he could see sunlight at the top of it.

Hunk walked backwards about ten feet and sheathed his sword. He crouched in a running position before sprinting forward. His foot hit the wall and he boosted himself upward, his hands caught the lip of the wall and he pulled himself up. He rolled onto the top of the wall and lay panting in the patch of sunlight.

After a moment of catching his breath, he stood up and walked outside. The wind was blowing strongly and he squinted his eyes. Surprisingly enough, there was a bird statue just outside the exit to the cave. Hunk laughed and walked over. He closed his eyes and gave thanks to the Goddess for his safe passage through the cave.

“Hunk!” He looked up and saw Keith and Red circling above him. When Red flew close enough, Keith jumped from her back and landed in front of Hunk. “How’s it going? Any sign of Yellow yet?”

“I think so, Pidge told me Rolo hid him by a waterfall. When I came through the cave, I thought I heard Yellow.”

Keith grinned. “That’s great! What are we waiting for, let’s go!” He pushed Hunk towards the path leading down near the edge of the waterfall. “Wait…do you hear that?” Keith looked around and scowled. “It sounds like someone is calling for me.”

“I don’t hear anyone,” Hunk said. “Maybe it’s Shiro?”

“Why would Shiro be calling for me? He knows we’re looking for Yellow. Anyways,” Keith shook his head, “let’s just go get Yellow okay?”

“Alright.” Hunk and Keith began to walk down the path and as they went around the bend, they both heard the cry of a loft-wing. They looked at each other and ran towards the sound. Yellow was trapped in a small hold, blocked off by wooden beams. When he saw Hunk and Keith, he began to cry louder and flap his wings harder.

“Yellow!” Hunk ran up to his loft-wing, relief flooding him. “Hang on, buddy, I got you.” He took out his word and Yellow stopped flailing. The loft-wing stepped back as far as he could and Hunk raised the sword over his head, and using all of his strength, cut through the beams.

Once free, Yellow ruffled his feathers and walked out into the open. He preened his feathers as Hunk stroked his neck. “How are you, buddy?” Yellow squawked and threw himself off of the ledge and into the air. Hunk laughed and ran towards the edge, watching his loft-wing fly around.

“Looks like he’s doing alright,” Keith said.

“Thank goodness.”

They stood there watching Yellow fly and after a moment, Keith broke the silence. “Hunk, have you ever wondered what’s down there? On the surface?”

“Huh?”

“What’s under the clouds, I mean. Do you ever think about it? People say it’s barren and empty, but what if it’s not? What if there’s something down there?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, adventure! Something. It’s just…been bothering me for a while.” Hunk stared at Keith and reached forward. His fingers brushed Keith’s cheek as he tucked a loose piece of hair behind his ear. Keith looked at him in surprise. “What are you—”

“If there’s something down there, let’s go explore it together. But for now,” Hunk grinned and took his hand away, he opened his arms up and put his back to the sky, “we’ve got a Wing Ceremony to win.” He let himself fall backwards into the open air.

“You’re insane!” Keith yelled at him as he whistled for Yellow to catch him. Hunk laughed when Keith jumped off of the edge and whistled for Red. Both loft-wings snatched them up at the same time, and they flew in circles around each other.

“Come on, let’s go tell Shiro and Coran we found Yellow!”


	3. The Wing Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rolo is a cheater. 
> 
> Is that an almost confession, Keith?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long, long time. I have survived holiday retail and the fall semester! I actually still have some finals left but oh well, those can wait. I'm more focused on this. Hopefully I'll have more time to work on this over the break!
> 
> Feedback is super welcome! :)

There was already a group of people gathered in the plaza as Hunk and Keith flew overhead. Red and Yellow flew in lazy circles, slowly bringing them to a safe landing distance. Keith jumped first and landed gracefully on his feet. Hunk followed after, jumping down from Yellow’s back, and tucked and rolled as he hit the ground. The sword strapped to his back made it awkward. He stood and rolled a small ache out of his shoulders.

“Thank goodness,” Shiro said, “we almost had to start without you! I’m glad you found Yellow.”

“Me too, thanks for holding up the ceremony.” Hunk said as he went to stand next to Rolo. The other boy rolled his eyes and elbowed Hunk in the side. “ _Hey_!” Hunk hissed through his teeth and elbowed Rolo back.

“Took you long enough,” Rolo whispered out of the corner of his mouth and shoved his elbow under Hunk’s ribs.

“No thanks to _somebody_.” Hunk returned the favor. Rolo stumbled a little.

“Ahem,” Coran cleared his throat and stared at the two of them, twirling his mustache around one finger. “Are you two finished? We’d like to get started now.” Hunk’s face fell and Rolo grinned a little bit.

“By all means,” Rolo said, “take it away!”

“Well then,” Shiro said. “Coran, please explain the rules.”

“It’s quite simple,” Coran took a small figurine of a loft-wing from his pocket, “your goal is to retrieve this statuette from this loft-wing.” He whistled and a large indigo loft-wing landed next to him. He stroked its feathers and the loft-wing took the figurine in its talons.

“That’s it?” Nyma asked. She put her hands on her hips.

“That’s it. No tricks. That goes for us and for you,” Coran’s eyes flickered to Rolo. “This is about testing your abilities and your bond with your loft-wings. The first person to retrieve the statuette will be this year’s winner and will proceed to the next level. Be swift, clever, and honest.”

“Not to mention that this year’s winner will receive a hand-made gift from this year’s goddess, Keith.” Shiro said. Keith seethed in the corner. “Keith, do you have anything to say before we begin?” 

“Don’t lose,” he said through gritted teeth. He looked right at Hunk when he said it. Hunk smiled reassuringly and gave him as subtle a thumbs up as he could manage. Keith didn’t look impressed. Neither did Rolo who gave him another small shove.

“Does anyone have any questions? No? Then line up on the pier and let’s get this show on the roll!” Coran ushered the three of them over to the pier. “Go on, line up, line up.” Hunk found himself sandwiched between Rolo and Nyma and suddenly the weight of the situation hit him like a ton of bricks. He was all alone. Keith had gotten himself suspended and disqualified from this year’s Wing Ceremony. Pidge was two years behind them. He had zero allies in this scenario.

 _Ah crow_ , he thought as Coran shouted, “ _Go_!” The three of them sprinted towards the edge of the pier. Hunk jumped like he was cannon-diving into the lake. He put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. Rolo and Nyma’s whistles rang in his ears as Yellow snatched him up from the air.

He saw a flash of indigo in the corner of his eye. He took Yellow up high in the air and they flew in circles surveying the scene. Coran’s loft-wing was weaving in and out of the natural obstacles around Sky-loft. Small islands, boulders—all sorts of hidey holes.

Rolo and Nyma were in hot pursuit, but every time they got near, Coran’s loft-wing cut them off either by suddenly changing direction, shooting up into the air, or falling down into the clouds. The bird was as quick and nimble as the man who flew it—and just as clever. 

His two competitors clashed as they both reached for the statuette at the same time. Coran’s loft-wing flew up into the air and Hunk took it as an opportunity to swoop in from above. The loft-wing’s amber eyes flashed when it noticed him and it veered off course. Hunk and Yellow almost went crashing into a boulder.

Hunk and Yellow circled around the boulder. Waiting. If he waited, then hopefully Rolo and Nyma would bring the loft-wing this way. He flew low this time, and when Coran’s loft-wing came flying overhead, he and Yellow shot upwards. His fingers brushed against the figurine. Rolo and his gray loft-wing crashed into him.  

“Not so fast,” Rolo snarled. Hunk scowled and flew Yellow back up, far away from Rolo and Nyma. They circled overhead again, waiting for an opportunity. Yellow shrieked as something flew past his wing.

“What the?” There was a whistling noise. “ _Rocks_?” He yelled at Rolo. “You’re throwing _rocks_? Are you insane?”

“Maybe,” Rolo yelled back and lobbed another rock, “but maybe I’m just a sore winner.”

“I think you mean sore loser,” Hunk shouted. He and Yellow dodged the rocks flying from below and charged down towards Rolo. Rolo yelled and moved out of the way. They flew straight past him to intercept Coran’s loft-wing which was circling back around.

Its eyes widened. Hunk saw it tuck into its wings, it had every intention to fly downwards to escape. “Not this time!” He and Yellow shot forward and Hunk snatched the figurine from its talons. “Yes!” He cheered. He barely heard Rolo defeated groan.

He turned Yellow back towards Sky-loft. He could see Keith standing on the pier, looking out at the scene with his hands shading his eyes against the glare of the sun. “Keith!” Hunk yelled and held up the figurine above his head. “I got it!”

Keith’s hands dropped from his face. Hunk couldn’t see him very clearly but he could tell Keith was excited. He looked tense in that uncertain way and he shuffled his feet anxiously for a moment before making a decision. He ran and jumped from the pier. Hunk’s eyebrows shot up and he urged Yellow forward.

“You’re crazy!” He yelled when he caught Keith.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” Keith grinned at him and burst out into laughter. “I can’t believe you actually won!”

“You told me to win!”

“Still though,” Keith’s eyes were shining, “I—congratulations, Hunk. You’re one step closer to becoming a knight.”

Hunk suddenly felt embarrassed. “T-Thanks. Um,” he pushed his bangs away from his face, “don’t we have a ceremony to finish?”

Keith snorted through his nose. “Fly us to the Goddess Statue then.”

Yellow flew over Sky-loft and up to the top of the Goddess Statue. Keith jumped off first and then Hunk. They landed in the hands of the Goddess. “Hand it over,” Keith said. Hunk gave him the loft-wing statuette. Keith took it and gently placed it in a small niche in the stone of the Statue. He took a step back and took out the harp he’d been carrying around all morning. He glanced at Hunk. “Don’t laugh, okay?”

“I would never!” Keith just glared at him. He played a few hesitant chords of the familiar tune from this morning. Hunk closed his eyes and listened. Keith reached the point he had tripped up on earlier, Hunk held his breath. Keith made it through the song without a problem. “Nice job.” 

“Just kneel,” Keith said. Hunk got down on one knee and held out his hand. Keith took it and cleared his throat. “Great goddess, guiding light and protector of our people,” he recited, “grant us your blessing and mercy as I act in your stand during this ceremony.”

Hunk grinned at him.

“’Valiant youth who grasped victory at the celebration of the bird folk…In accordance with the old ways…I now bestow the blessings of the goddess upon you.’” Keith let go of his hand and untied the shawl from around his shoulders. He folded it and held it out to Hunk. “Here.” 

“That last part lacked a little bit of the reverence you had in your tone earlier,” Hunk said as he stood up. He took the shawl from Keith.

“Fine,” Keith scowled at him. “’The blessings of the goddess drift down from the heavens aloft a sail, which I now pass on to you.’ There, are you happy?”

“Very.” Hunk pinched Keith’s nose. “Thank you, Keith.”

“Just take good care of it, alright? That thing wasn’t easy to make. I had to get a lot of help for it.” He rubbed his nose irritably. “And I should be thanking you…for keeping your promise I mean. I would have lost it if I had to be up here with Rolo or Nyma.”

“It was nothing, you would have done the same thing for me if our positions were reversed.”

“Maybe,” Keith said, “but there’s no way I would have lost to begin with so it would have been guaranteed.” 

“What’s that’s supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, let’s just finish. You know what happens next right?” Keith smiled and took his hand away from his nose.

“I have a feeling I don’t want to find out.”

“You’ll be fine,” Keith said and put his hands on Hunk’s shoulders. He spun him around to face the tips of the Goddess’s hands. “All you have to do is jump down from here and land in the circle all the way down there in the courtyard. Easy.” 

Hunk looked over the edge. “That is literally the smallest circle I have ever seen. I’m pretty sure I’m bigger than that circle. How am I supposed to land in there?”

“You have a sail-cloth, duh. Don’t think about it, just jump.”

“I’d like to think just a little bit.” 

“Jump!” Keith said and gave Hunk a push over the edge. Hunk yelped as he stumbled off of the Goddess’s hands. He scrambled to open the sail-cloth. “You can do it!” He heard Keith yell down at him. “A fall from this height won’t kill you.” That wasn’t reassuring at all.

Hunk screwed his eyes shut as the sail opened. His fall broke and after a moment or two, his foot hit the ground. He opened his eyes hesitantly. Somehow he was in the circle. He let out a sigh of relief. He had a weird feeling that Keith would have kept pushing him off the edge had he not made it.

“See? I told you could do it,” Keith and Red landed in the courtyard.

“How come you get to fly down on your loft-wing and I keep getting pushed off of high places today?” Hunk asked and Keith had the decency to look a little embarrassed.

“Well, I already gave you the sail-cloth. There was no other way for me to get down!”

“Mmhm.”

“Ugh, whatever. Listen,” Keith rubbed the back of his neck, “now that the ceremony is officially over, do you want to do something?”

“Like?”

“I don’t know, let’s,” Keith looked around and stared at Red, “let’s have a race or something. I didn’t get to compete today.” He glanced at Hunk and got an evil glint in his eyes. “Let’s have some fun.”

“Yeah sure,” Hunk snorted. He pushed Keith and ran towards the nearest pier. “But there’s no way I’m losing!” He jumped and whistled for Yellow.

“That’s cheating!” He heard Keith yell after him. A moment later, Keith was falling next to him and whistling for Red. Their loft-wings caught them at the same time and they flew circles around each other, chasing from one obstacle to the next.

“Hey Hunk!” Keith called out.

“No way, you’re just trying to distract me because I’m winning.” Hunk said. He heard Keith laughing over the wind. Red caught up to Yellow easily. “Dang it.” Hunk eyed the short distance between their loft-wings. “What is it?”

“Let me be sappy for a second, okay? Thank you again for keeping your promise today…you were really cool. And there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about for a while lately…” Hunk raised his eyebrows. Keith opened his mouth to speak again when a loud sound interrupted him. Red and Yellow began to shriek.

“What is that?” Hunk yelled.

Hunk had seen tornadoes before but none of this size and never up close like this. It came out of nowhere. He pulled Yellow up, holding on tightly. “What’s going on?” Keith yelled. He and Red tried to maneuver out of the way but the wind dragged them down. His eyes got big and he looked at Hunk. “Hunk!”

“Keith!” Hunk tried to fly Yellow towards the storm and Keith. They didn’t even get close. The wind knocked Yellow and Hunk away, and Keith disappeared into the clouds below.

Yellow regained his bearings first and flew after Hunk, trying to catch him before he fell. Hunk was too stunned to move towards his loft-wing. Keith was gone. He knocked into something with an awful sounding crack. Yellow shrieked. Hunk’s vision started to dim.

And then he heard someone calling his name.


	4. Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is so extra that Hunk can't /just/ take the stairs.
> 
> Shiro is just so reassuring with all those shoulder touches. Are you reassured? Good, you should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to update earlier. But then it was the week before Christmas and work was insane! And then I was in a no-injury car accident! And then it was actually Christmas! And then trying to get this illustration of Lance in here was literally the most frustrating thing ever because the entire image was too small so then I had to crop it and blah blah blah. 
> 
> Anyways...I hope you like this chapter.
> 
> Feedback is super welcome! :)

“ _Hunk…_ ” He opened his eyes. It was dark and he was falling. “ _Hunk_ …” A bright light shone down on him, the silhouette of a person with arms outstretched in the center. “ _I am waiting for you. The time has come for you to awaken. You are vital to a mission of great importance_.”

The light spread all around him and instead of looking upwards, now he was looking down. At Keith. Hunk reached out his hand towards Keith. A terrible and familiar darkness opened up underneath them. Sharp armored scales and rows of long jagged teeth. It jumped up as Hunk and Keith’s fingers brushed and swallowed Keith whole.

Hunk woke up with a jolt. He sat up and groaned—his head was spinning. “Take it easy, you hit your head pretty hard,” Shiro said. He was sitting in a chair next to Hunk’s bed. “Your loft-wing carried you back to Sky-loft.”

“Shiro…Keith, is he?”

Shiro shook his head. “We haven’t seen him. What happened out there, Hunk? Where is my brother?”

“We were out racing—just playing around like normal. And then,” Hunk dragged his hands down his face, “there was this tornado. It showed up out of nowhere. Shiro, I’ve never seen anything like it before. It was black, it didn’t look anything like the ones that normally pop up from time to time.”

“A black tornado?” Shiro repeated. He stood up and went to the window. Hunk stared at him, but Shiro just stood there. After a moment, Hunk threw his legs over the side of the bed and began pulling on his boots.

“Don’t push yourself,” Shiro said and turned around to look at Hunk. “We’ll look for Keith in the morning when it’s bright out. It’s too dangerous to search for a boy and his loft-wing in the middle of the night.” He put his hand on Hunk’s shoulder. “We’ll find him, Hunk.”

“I know that,” Hunk stared at his boots, “I’m just not sure that today was a coincidence.”

Shiro’s hand tightened on his shoulder. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve been having weird dreams lately, about some kind of mission. And nightmares about this monster! Just right now before I woke up, I dreamt that it ate Keith as we fell from the sky. It was just as black as the tornado that separated Keith and I earlier. And Keith—he mentioned wanting to go to the surface.”

Hunk looked up at Shiro. The older man looked lost in thought. “The surface?” His voice was grim and he withdrew his hand from Hunk’s shoulder. “We’ll look for Keith in the morning,” he repeated, “make sure that you get some rest.”

“Shiro…”

“Don’t worry, Hunk. You know what Keith is like,” Shiro went to the door and smiled reassuringly as he set his hand on the doorknob, “he’s too stubborn to get hurt.” Hunk smiled back and Shiro closed the door behind him as he left.

Hunk sighed and put his head in his hands. He ran his fingers through his hair and locked his hands behind his neck. He stared at the wall. “What did you want to talk to me about, Keith?” He mumbled. There was a quiet response and Hunk sat up straight. He stared at his bedroom door.

“ _Hunk_ …”

He stood up.

“ _Hunk_ …”

“This is officially the weirdest day of my life,” he said to himself and grabbed the sword that he borrowed (and failed to return) from Iverson. He strapped it his back and approached his door. He pressed his ear against the wood and heard nothing.

Hunk cracked the door open and looked out into the hallway. He didn’t see anything. He opened it all the way and stepped outside.  “ _Hunk_ …” He looked to his right and almost jumped out of his skin. There was a person standing—floating?—at the foot of the stairs.

The person was unreal. They floated dreamily and glowed softly as they waited for Hunk’s response. They were dressed in head to toe in different shades of blue. The right side was a deep, rich color and the left was brighter and more saturated. Even their skin was blue. Hunk couldn’t see their arms—their sleeves were so flowy.

Hunk took a step towards them and they turned on their heel and danced up the stairs. “Hey!” Hunk whispered harshly. He ran up the stairs. They stopped at the door leading outside and smiled a little before disappearing through the wood.

“Oh my goddess this is not happening,” Hunk said as he pushed open the door. He looked around.

“ _Hunk_ …”

They stood near the bird statue Hunk had prayed at earlier that morning. He approached them slowly, waiting to see if they’d run off again. When they were a few feet apart from each other, the stranger floated backwards, trailing small orbs of light. Hunk followed them to the center bridge of Sky-loft and up the stairs he had climbed to meet Keith before the Wing Ceremony—the ones leading up to the Goddess Statue. However, before they entered the courtyard in front of the statue, the stranger veered off course.

“What the?” Hunk stood at the edge and looked down where they floated. “You want me to go down there?” They turned on their heel again, spinning in place, small orbs of light spinning out from their flowing sleeves. “Okay fine.”

Hunk took a deep breath and jumped down. For a moment he thought that he overshot and was certain he was going to fall into the sky, but he landed solidly on the ground. “I am jumping and falling off of too many things today,” he groaned and began his pursuit again.

Up ahead, he saw a faint outline of something curled up on the ground. The stranger floated over it and waited for Hunk to follow. “Don’t be a jelly, don’t be a jelly, don’t be a jelly.” He walked forward and squinted into the darkness. It was Shiro’s cat. "Muffin?"

She uncurled and stretched languidly. “Hey girl, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night? Did you get out of Shiro’s office again?” He made to pick her up but she turned around and hissed at him. Hunk shrieked and fell backwards onto his butt. Muffin ran off. He sat there stunned.

“ _Hunk_ …”

“That is the _last_ time I try to help that cat, okay?” He stood up and brushed himself off. He looked at the stranger who floated nearby. “Alright, let’s go.” They floated closer to the cliff wall. “You’ve got to be kidding me, you want me to get across this?”

There was no way to walk across, but there was enough of a shelf to pull himself along the wall with his hands. However, if his strength gave out he’d fall into the sky below. “And then I’ll definitely die or get suspended for flying at night, is that something you want?”

The stranger stared blankly back at him.

Hunk made a huffing sound. “If I die, it’s your fault.” He said and rubbed his hands together. He grabbed the edge of the shelf and stepped off the edge. He kept his arms bent at ninety degrees, breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, and tried not to kick his legs too much.

When he was safely to the other side and on solid ground, he put his hands on shaking knees and caught his breath. After regaining his composure, he began following the stranger again. They led him up a small hill and then floated to a nearby island of land. “Great,” he grumbled as a he backed up, “another life-threatening jump.”

Hunk leapt across the gap and landed easily. “Who designed Sky-loft anyways? This is just ludicrous and dangerous.” He jumped again and grabbed onto some vines across from him, still following. The stranger waited for him at the top of the vines. They floated away when Hunk pulled himself up. “Oh come on, there’s _more_?” He panted and stood up, wearily following. He looked around. “Holy crow,” he breathed, “is this just the Goddess Statue?”

He ran after them. “Did you seriously make me go all that way? We could have just taken the stairs! We _did_ take the stairs! Why did we go around?” They were standing in front a brick wall at the base of the statue. They spread out their arms and disappeared into the brick. “Hey!” There was a bright light and then the brick began to fade. A doorway opened in front of him.

Hunk groaned and followed.  He walked down a long, dark hallway. It opened up into a brightly lit room. The sides were lined by elegant columns going up to the ceiling but he was more focused on the center of the room. In a circle of torches, a sword stood upright in a slab of stone. Hunk approached it slowly.

The sword glowed and the stranger back flipped out of it. “Okay, it’s weird again.” He said irritably.

“ _The one chosen by my creator_ ,” they said, “ _I have been waiting for you. You will play a great role in destiny_.”

“You’re the voice from my dreams!”

“ _According to your social customs, I must present you with my personal designation. You may call me Lance_.”

“Designation?”

“ _I was created for a single purpose_ ,” they continued as if Hunk hadn’t spoken, “ _I must aid you in the burden that is your destiny to carry_.”               

“That’s rough.”

“ _Hunk, take up this sword. You have been chosen by my creator, it is your destiny_.”

“I don’t know about any destiny,” Hunk said. He took a half step back.

“ _Strange dreams_ ,” Lance said. Hunk looked at them in surprise. “ _My sudden appearance. The disappearance of the one you call Keith. I understand your apprehension_.”

Hunk scowled. “What do you know about Keith?”

“ _Allow me to share some information that may interest you_ ,” Lance said. “ _Your beloved Keith is still alive. He is another, like you, who has been chosen to play a part of this great mission. If you wish to see each other again, I suggest you take up this sword._ ”

Hunk practically ran towards the sword. Lance floated upwards and stared at him. “ _In the name of my creator_ ,” they said, “ _draw the sword and raise it skyward_.” Hunk gulped and walked around Lance to get to the sword. He put his hand on the hilt and took a deep breath.

It was easier than he thought it would be to draw the sword from the stone. It slid out, making a clean scraping sound as it came free. It felt right in his hands. He raised it above his head, almost like he did in training, and held it there. A light shone down and he could feel power soaking into the metal of the blade.

“ _Recognition complete. Master…my master_ ,” Lance floated to Hunk’s side. Hunk stared at the now glowing sword in his hands, mouth hanging open.

“Hunk!”

Hunk turned around and saw Shiro walking towards him. _I bet he took the stairs_ , Hunk thought as Shiro stared at him in awe. “I had my suspicions, especially after what you told me earlier, but now I know for sure.”

“Know what?”

“It is said that this place, the Chamber of the Sword, was left to our people by the goddess herself. The existence of this room is a closely held secret, passed down to a select few from generation to generation…along with a handful of words.” Shiro walked further into the room and looked at Lance.

“’When the light of the goddess’s sword shines, the great apocalypse will wake from its long slumber. Do not fear, for it is then that a youth, guided by my hand, shall reveal himself in a place most sacred.’”

“That is an awful thing to pass down from generation to generation,” Hunk said.

“It began a couple of days ago, the sword,” Shiro gestured to the blade in Hunk’s hands, “began to glow. I thought I was just seeing things, and I never once imagined that the prophecy would come to fruition in my lifetime. I was just told this secret a couple of years ago, I never thought…well, anyways.”

He looked at Lance again. “’The youth will be guided by one born of the blade,’” he recited, “’one who is also youthful in likeness yet wise with knowledge immeasurable.’”

Lance stared blankly at Shiro. “ _The oral tradition is the least reliable form of passing on information,”_ they stated simply _. “You are missing critical sections. Allow me to fill them in_ : ‘ _The youth who draws forth the guiding sword shall be known as the goddess’s chosen hero, and it is he who possess an unbreakable spirit_.’”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Hunk said.

“ _’He shall be burdened with the task of abolishing the shadow of apocalypse from the land. Such is his destiny. With the spirit of the blade at his side, he shall soar over the clouds and plummet below and united with the spirit maiden, shall bring for a piercing light that resurrects the land_.’”

“Spirit maiden? You mean Keith?”

“Don’t let my brother hear you call him a maiden,” Shiro said.

“ _Master, you must journey below the clouds. It is the only way to fulfill the mission set by my creator. It is also the only way to reunite with your beloved, the spirit maid, the honorable Keith_.”

“He might like the honorable part,” Shiro said and then sighed. “Hunk…this isn’t going to be easy. The surface is an incredibly dangerous place. You’ll have to pierce the cloud barrier as well, and no one in our written history has accomplished that feat.”

Lance stretched out their arms and a light began to glow between them. The light became unbearably bright before dimming and disappearing completely. A stone slab floated in place. “ _This slab with allow you to passage to the world below. Take it and place it inside the altar behind me_.”

“Um…” The slab floated towards Hunk and he caught it in his hands. He looked helplessly at Shiro. “I literally just wanted to stay in bed this morning,” he said.

“It’ll be alright, Hunk.” Shiro put his hand on Hunk’s shoulder. “Listen to Lance. Go to the surface and find Keith. If there’s anything you need, I’ll help you in any way I can.”

Hunk stared at the stone slab in his hands. It almost looked like a piece of a map. He took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll do it. How do I put the slab in the altar, Lance?”

“ _First you must hit the crest in front of the altar with a skyward strike. Raise your sword skyward, charge it with pure energy, and swing downwards_.”

“That sounds easy enough. Here, hold this.” Hunk handed the slab to Shiro. He walked up to the altar and raised the sword over his head again. There was no glowing light this time, but he felt the power nonetheless. It started at the tip of the blade and when his fingertips began to tingle, he swung the sword downwards in a smooth arc.

A bluish light shot out of the sword towards the crest in front of the altar which was the same design as the one Keith had worn on his ceremony robes. It began to glow and to spin, rising up into the air. As it rose, it pulled out a section of the ground, revealing a small niche.

Hunk turned to look at Shiro who walked over with the slab. He took it from the older man and turned towards the altar. “So I uh, just stick it in here?” He asked Lance. Lance nodded. Hunk turned the slab over in his hands before pushing it into the corner of the niche—it fit easily and like a puzzle piece.

“ _It is done_ ,” Lance announced.

“What happened? Nothing has changed.”

“ _Until now, a cloud barrier created by the goddess has separated the world you know from the one below. The tablet you placed in the altar has opened a small hole in the barrier. You are now free to travel through the clouds to the world below_.”

“Wow."

“ _Hunk…I have recognized you as my master. It is my duty to accompany you on this journey. I reside within your sword_ ,” Lance gestured to the sword held loosely at Hunk’s side, “ _if you need me, just ask_.” Lance rose into the air and disappeared into the sword with a small flash of light.

“Lance is apparently really flashy,” Hunk said, “they’ve been doing that all night.”

“Hunk, are you sure you want to do this?” Shiro asked.

“Not at all, but,” Hunk stared at the sword in his hand, “I think I need to. Those dreams, what happened to Keith—I need to give it a chance at the very least.”

“You’ve grown up a lot, Hunk. I’m proud of you. And Keith…” Shiro breathed, “Keith is alive!”

“I know, and I promise that I’ll find him.”

Shiro laughed suddenly. “Well I’m sure if you don’t find him, he’ll find you. It sounds like he has as big a role to play in this as you do.” He sobered up a little, the smile falling from his face. “I don’t know what kind of dangers you’ll face, Hunk. This shadow of apocalypse—I only know it by name, I have no idea what it entails.”

“I can handle it,” Hunk said. “I think I can anyways.”

“I know you can.” Shiro threw his arm around Hunk’s shoulders. “Now let’s get out of here. I don’t know about you, but this place makes me claustrophobic. Besides,” he pinched the fabric of Hunk’s tunic, “you need new clothes if you’re going to go save the world.”


End file.
